Republicans Against The Modern State
Republicans are always railing against big government; the size of the federal bureaucracy for them can never be small enough. Like how in the world would they know what’s too big? Technical details of the modern world and its complexities forever escape their understanding. I mean who knew healthcare was so complex? Certainly not the Donald or the Republican shills in Congress.
You can only be certain about that which you have little understanding. Thus Republicans have this bizarre notion that in today’s highly complex world the United States can somehow magically be returned to a mom and pop size and style of government that was once suitable to the time of our nation’s founding. It would be like Wal-Mart or Costco deciding to arbitrarily knock off big chunks of their workforces simply because they have grown so much bigger than they were were twenty years ago. I mean, trimming bureaucracy has such a great political ring to it. Like there must be reams of deadwood needing to be shorn from the system.
When, however, one looks into the detailed working of the various government departments and agencies, the truth is that they are usually understaffed. This, again, for the simply reason that strangling bureaucracy has always been such an appealing political sport, especially by Republicans that that are forever looking for ways to find savings that can then be passed up to their rich benefactors.
Do we really need all those air traffic controllers, research scientists, climate experts, food inspectors and the thousand-and-one other technical specialists that make a first world country function properly? No way, you say. Okay then, let’s take a Trump/Bannon style meat axe approach to the “administrative state” and see if we can’t turn the United States of America into a dysfunctional mess like Russia, where Putin has a free hand to loot the nation to his heart’s desire — a Trumpian wet-dream to be sure.
It’s just so much easier for would-be dictators to direct government operations for their personal benefit once the professional bureaucrats have been tossed aside. So, yes, by all means let’s kill the modern bureaucratic state and see how that works out for average Americans, you clueless Republicans.
